I think that the original "Exorcist" is, by far, one of the greatest movies ever made. It's the only movie that actually scares me and it's a magnificent piece of work, really. Except for the music (with the exception of "Tubular Bells"), I wouldn't change anything about it.
Now comes this other movie, this *sequel* (hiss!) directed by the man who gave us "Deliverance". Linda Blair returns as Regan, and Kitty Winn as Sharon, along with Max von Sydow for some fill-in-the-blanks work, but they're the only prominent talents behind or in front of the cameras to return.
How dare this movie pretend to be in the same league as "The Exorcist," right? Wrong.
Going in with absolutely no expectations whatsoever (I recommend that state of mind), I found a good story told in a not-particularly-good fashion. The acting is mostly awful, except some capable moments by Linda Blair and James Earl Jones. However, the actors deliver lines that weren't really meant for Hollywood-- metaphorical, psychospiritual stuff about locusts and the demon Pazuzu, who, four years prior, got all up in little Regan's grill and may be doing so again. This is, at its core, a fantasy, not a nightmare.
Some scenes of the movie-- a ritual at a clifftop church in Africa and Father Lamont's meeting with Kokumo, just a couple examples-- are actually fascinating. John Boorman is a good director, mostly, and makes choices that are bewildering, but not as terrible as you've heard. The movie also distances itself from the original-- the patchwork, obnoxious soundtrack of the first is replaced by a single score by the legendary Ennio Morricone, and the visuals appeal less to claustrophobia. Some tracking shots in Africa are absolutely breathtaking, but then William Fraker, the cinematographer, has a long history of doing great, underrated work-- see also "1941" (1979) and "Paint Your Wagon" (1969).
All in all, it's not a great movie. I can't say I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a carbon copy of Exorcist 1, but that's great. Honestly, I can guarantee it began as a moneymaking scheme by the studio to recapture the original's instant, intoxicating success. But another sequel to a religious-horror classic was like that, and it will never be acquitted-- "Damien: Omen II," a disastrous joke of a movie. "Exorcist II" is acquitted.
Now comes this other movie, this *sequel* (hiss!) directed by the man who gave us "Deliverance". Linda Blair returns as Regan, and Kitty Winn as Sharon, along with Max von Sydow for some fill-in-the-blanks work, but they're the only prominent talents behind or in front of the cameras to return.
How dare this movie pretend to be in the same league as "The Exorcist," right? Wrong.
Going in with absolutely no expectations whatsoever (I recommend that state of mind), I found a good story told in a not-particularly-good fashion. The acting is mostly awful, except some capable moments by Linda Blair and James Earl Jones. However, the actors deliver lines that weren't really meant for Hollywood-- metaphorical, psychospiritual stuff about locusts and the demon Pazuzu, who, four years prior, got all up in little Regan's grill and may be doing so again. This is, at its core, a fantasy, not a nightmare.
Some scenes of the movie-- a ritual at a clifftop church in Africa and Father Lamont's meeting with Kokumo, just a couple examples-- are actually fascinating. John Boorman is a good director, mostly, and makes choices that are bewildering, but not as terrible as you've heard. The movie also distances itself from the original-- the patchwork, obnoxious soundtrack of the first is replaced by a single score by the legendary Ennio Morricone, and the visuals appeal less to claustrophobia. Some tracking shots in Africa are absolutely breathtaking, but then William Fraker, the cinematographer, has a long history of doing great, underrated work-- see also "1941" (1979) and "Paint Your Wagon" (1969).
All in all, it's not a great movie. I can't say I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a carbon copy of Exorcist 1, but that's great. Honestly, I can guarantee it began as a moneymaking scheme by the studio to recapture the original's instant, intoxicating success. But another sequel to a religious-horror classic was like that, and it will never be acquitted-- "Damien: Omen II," a disastrous joke of a movie. "Exorcist II" is acquitted.